Jaguars' 3 new hires to focus on fans, sales

Drew Dixon

Tuesday

May 29, 2012 at 6:47 PM

The Jacksonville Jaguars have made some moves geared toward enhancing marketing and ticket sales.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan has collaborated with team President Mark Lamping in the past few weeks to hire three top executives in hopes of increasing attendance at EverBank Field and enhance corporate partnerships during Jaguars games.

Hussain Naqi has been named senior vice president for fan experience, Scott Massey is the senior vice president of partnerships and Chad Johnson was pegged for vice president of sales.

"This really is a continuing effort to provide the resources where we've focused a lot of attention and priority in terms of what we want to accomplish this off-season," Jaguars spokesman Dan Edwards said Tuesday.

While Naqi and Massey are working for the Jaguars, Johnson joins the operations as a contractor from Legends, a sports promotions operation owned by the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, Edwards said.

While the team did sell out all of its home games in 2011, at least one of those sellouts happened only because of a large corporate buyout of empty seats at the last minute before the deadline for the NFL television blackout.

Naqi, who used to be with planning at MetLife Stadium, formerly known as the Meadowlands, in New Jersey, will oversee fan relations and in-game experience for ticket-buying supporters of the Jaguars on game day.

Johnson will oversee sales to fans. And Massey, who came to the Jaguars from the PGA Tour, will oversee large-scale partnerships with corporations that will include sky box ticket sales and other community partnerships.

The addition of Johnson will also free Macky Weaver, the Jaguars vice president of marketing and sales, to focus on ticket sales, Edwards said.

Former Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli, the commissioner of Team Teal, a fan-based support organization for the Jaguars, said he likes the moves.

"I think any time there's change, you start by evaluating the organization and you bring in people who can improve and enhance business operations and what's going on," Boselli said.

Kevin Morris, managing member of the Jacksonville Business Exchange, said the front office moves by the Jaguars appear to be substantive.

"I don't think it's for show," Morris said. "I've seen a lot of good changes, and the Jaguars needed to make a change. They were a business that was in the process of dying, in my opinion. It looks like they're reviving the business."

Morris agreed with Boselli that wins are the ultimate determining factor for fan loyalty. But the shake-ups in the business operations by Khan offer the local community confidence in the team.

drew.dixon@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4098

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